


the deepest shade of green

by faculae



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 1920s, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-30 10:38:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3933625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faculae/pseuds/faculae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave and his older brother, Dirk, are orphaned at a young age and become apart of a New York gang affiliated with the Mafia. The story takes place circa November 1919, only a year after the first world war. Dave and Dirk are now both well off in their mid-twenties, but are still deeply involved in the brotherhood. Dave is offered a great promotion for proving his strength and devotion to the brotherhood, but it isn't until he meets who he's supposed to kill that he understands the weight of this assignment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the promotion

His lips pulled at the depleted cigarette, and ashes fell like soft gray snow onto his black satin vest. A soft billow escaped his mouth between tight lips. He figured it was hardly worth sucking the remaining bit of nicotine, and so he crushed it into the small ashtray. He felt the clear, empty blue eyes on him. He didn't want to say he was making him nervous, because his boss was always doing that. The boss did that to everyone. But even the warmly lit room couldn't soothe the uneasy, brisk air.

"Dave, you've done well for so many years." His boss' steely, cold voice pierced through his mind. It was familiar, but always unwelcome. It was always reminiscent of hurt and pain and loneliness. Especially those words. Dave never allowed himself the comfort of feeling those things, but that didn't make them any less formidable. He remained steady in an unblinking and unchanged expression. Dave was all about collected exteriors. He considered it his specialty.

"Yes," He said, a small smirk formed on his lips. "I guess I have carried out all my errands, as you've always asked."

The boss chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes, yes. This is true, Dave. And what do you think we should do about that?"

Nervous hairs pricked up at the back of his neck, but he didn't dare look away. He didn't respond. The boss nodded, almost eagerly. Almost pleasantly, Dave noted.

"Don't you remember yourself, Dave? You've been in this work since you were a boy. I gave you a promise, when you completed your first tasks with competency. You were so thorough. But silent. You would receive and deliver, and that is what has simply made you the best of all my errand boys. But you're no longer a boy now, Dave. 25, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir." Dave nodded, leaning forward into the black leather chair. If the boss wasn't careful, he might sound affectionate, as if Dave were his own literal blood. He knew this treatment was somewhat common for the boss to give out, and it only made him more distant and disturbing.

"Then I think it's about time you advance, Mr. Strider.” He paused, taking a long drag from a cigar. “But advancing is always costly, and requires the proof of your readiness for this position. Your pay would not be slim, Dave. But it is not an easy job. Listen closely." He leaned forward onto the mahogany desk. The wooden floor creaked ever so slightly as his chin tilted to give a deep and fatherly glare. The mechanical ticks of the clock felt like the thud of feet across the floor. It's almost an eternity of glances and slight movements, all teetering on an uneasy edge. Dave finds himself glaring at the creases of the man’s skin, the slight stubble appearing on his chin, and the frothy paleness of his hollow cheeks. 

The boss's lips part to speak. "You must kill, and you must make it appear as if it never happened. Our information about the target is limited, but it is critical that you are concise and finish the job. There is no wiggle room. You know the consequences of wandering. And the more offensive... ah... disagreements." His palms flatten together, and his fingers lace in a robotic motion. His knuckles are white. 

Dave nods curtly, but his mind swam about the word kill. He'd always known it was a part of the job. But if it got him into a higher rank, higher security, higher pay... what did it matter?

"Do you accept?" The boss's voice was sharp and intense.

"Yes," Dave said without hesitation, and his boss relaxed into his chair, nodding. With two fingers, he slid a thin folder across his desk.

"The details of your assignment are inside. You cannot share them with anyone outside of the family. I trust you will do well with this assignment."

"Yes sir," Dave nodded, and collected the folder. He stood to leave.

"And Dave," he murmured. "No one."

He blinked a few times and nodded. And then he turned tail and left.

\--

He jiggled his key into the lock of his apartment door, giving it a swift turn and then shoving his way inside.

The apartment was in a high rise, hundreds of feet in the air. It's simple walls were bordered in thick crown molding. They were lined with big, beautiful windows that gaped at the view of the bustling city. There was a balcony fixed outside of a set of ornate French doors. The furniture was modern, beautiful--rococo like. Their sitting room was open and with minimal furniture and the kitchen oversaw the dining room, fairly close to it. It was all very similar, with nothing much to behold. Nothing was especially ornate, except for the fact that there were things littered about: clothes, dirty dishes, papers, ties. The cleaning lady hadn’t come today.

A few years before, he had celebrated here, absolutely soaking the carpet with champagne and littering it with bottles and the ornamentations that accompanied such parties. There was hardly any room to walk or dance, which was what had made it such a good time. He could almost hear the jazz bursting into full color in his mind. He had never taken his recent fortune for granted, especially because he had always been less, lived with less, desired less. But he had more and more after his brother, who worked under the same boss, had moved up rank after rank. As his elder brother became more successful, life was progressively less simple.

His brother, Dirk, was sitting at the kitchen table. He was studying a small stack of papers, a large cigar sitting at the corner of his mouth. The smoke seemed to haze the entire apartment.

"Damn it, Dirk, didn't I tell you to smoke those outside?" He said, trying to kid, but his tone was a little more bitter than he intended.

"And didn't I tell you to leave your sorry ass at the Clubhouse if you wanted to complain about this apartment I pay for?” He tossed the papers from his hands. “Sit your ass down, tell me about Doc."

Doc was a sort of name that everyone in the gang used for the boss, but Dave never found it endearing or particularly fitting. He would use it around those he knew, but he never cared for it to be an affectionate term. The boss insisted, but Dave kept a straight response of 'yes sir's and 'yes boss's. He had known him for years, but there was nothing tying Dave to him besides his contract. He didn't even know his real name.

Dave pulled a kitchen chair to the backs of his knees and sat. "Doc gave me an assignment."

"Yawn, what else is new, David?" He looked back down to his stack of papers, inhaling deeply. An exhale of smoke wafted into Dave's throat and he refrained from coughing. He was close to Dirk, once upon a time. They had trudged on for years through the struggles of being orphaned and denied help, time after time. Dirk had often protected Dave from the ails of the dark alleyways when he was weak or tired. When they got involved in a brotherhood, a gang that was affiliated with the New York Mafia, they didn't understand. They offered protection and financial safety and food and shelter, but sometimes it felt nothing like that. They were both numb to the violence and hard work, but it changed Dirk. He was chilly and rigid, and it was only perpetuated as he grew in rank. Doc probably knew more about Dirk than Dave did.

He set the file on the table. "He's offering me a high rank."

Dirk glanced for only a second, but then looked down again at the file. He crushed his cigar into the dish beside him, taking a sudden interest. He picked it up, inspecting it and opening it. "Shit, Dave, that's higher than me. He's really having YOU do this?"

"Fuck, Dirk. I would think you completely lacked trust in my abilities."

Dirk looked him in the eye to blink away his disbelief. "No, it's not that. Just. Congrats, bro. I guess you've earned it. You looked over this information yet?"

"No, not yet."

"There's not much here." 

Dave smirked. "Doc practically knows nothing. But he hid it under the 'we have minimal knowledge except that they're dangerous.' You know what I say? Balogna. I've got to do all the hard work. They just give a name for an old joe and jane. And some dame. Gotta be their daughter."

Dirk chuckled, but he didn't seem to think it was all that funny. He returned to his own stack of papers and shook his head.

"Dave, you ought to watch your back. Or you’ll be on the lam." He clicked his tongue.

"What makes you say so?"

"This little a information? It's not gonna get you far. You're gonna have to do some of your own grinding. Don't get carried away."

Dave didn't say anything, but he was annoyed. Nothing ever pleased Dirk--Dave was always too weak or too small. He knew he was better, and that he had cunning on his side, but it didn't stop the mild disapproval from unsettling him. With no other words left to say, he left the studio to enter his bedroom and retire to his desk.

It was going to be a long night, and he had to get started on his work.

When he was in his room, he opened the file gingerly, looking closely at all the details of who he was targeting and where to get a good lead on them. It gave full names, birth dates, and a description--but there were no photographs or background information. They were some plucky folks, that was for sure. Must not stay in one place for long. He sighed.

He hated feeling insufficient, at all, to anyone. It was something he only could admit to himself, because there was no one else to keep him at bay. It nagged him that every time he was told “great work”, that it truly meant: “you lead us to our next victim”. He hated his line of work, but he knew it was too late, much too far down the line. And so he forced himself to smile at pay raises and new tasks, a higher rank and a better couch to sit on. He ignored it all. Dave was so numb, and he had been for years. It was a great relief that he was only just becoming apart of elites that were used for the tough jobs. The killing jobs.

Once, he had been passionate about music and anthropology. There wasn't a better time than now for both careers, but they were forgotten dreams. He was never classically educated, at least farther than reading and writing and some history. It was far too late now, anyway, just like leaving the gang. So he enjoyed them from a distance, if at all. God, he really was getting dry--

He was done reading. Was he? There was no way he had read three pages on what he had needed to get done. He hadn't absorbed a single word. He ran his hands through gelled up hair and groaned. His thoughts always got the better of his focus. He started from the top.

"Mr. Jacob Harley, Ms. Janet Egbert, and Miss Jade Harley." He read aloud. Those were the names of the people he was meant to kill. Dave nodded, repeating the names until they felt like a song stuck in his head. When he fell under the covers of his nice bed, 'Jade Harley' was echoing in his brain. Her name was a skipping record.

"Goddamn assignment," he mumbled as he switched off the light, trying to hide the uneasiness welling up in his stomach.


	2. summertime

Jade awoke to a five a.m. alarm. Groaning, she hit the bell to cease it’s awful ringing. She missed the first few times. It always put up a good fight, she thought. Or maybe she was just losing her spritely morning energy, and her bleary-eyed punches just missed every time. It was probably the latter.

She rose after a minute of assessing nonsensical dreams that were interrupted by shrewd alarms. They were a little unsettling, so she didn’t dwell on them too long. Her hair was a mess, she knew; it fell in uneven masses over her eyes. Jade never quite understood how it managed its way out of a tight bun during the night. Nana always giggled at that. At every family dinner, someone would comment on her unruly hair--Nana would bring up the overnight curlers incident, in which she had somehow lost all but one during the night. None of those lost curlers were ever found. Jade was slightly suspicious of her grandmother’s pranking nature and speculated that it was always possible that she had snuck in to remove them. But as many times as she discussed this with her grandmother, she always blissfully denied it.

As much as she hated to brush her already fluffy curls, it was absolutely necessary. It was always a knotted mess by morning. She woke early to try to set it for the day, but it seemed impossible to get anything to work. Nana was the only one who could get her hair to cooperate, structuring it gently into smooth, silky fingerwaves. But she wasn’t usually awake before Jade had to leave for work. And so she would brush it, then struggle it into a bun. She longed for the bobs that everyone had at the moment! They were absolutely stunning, short and full of the feist Jade could never quite express with a tight bun or long hair. Poppop didn’t quite approve, and Nana would cry for days if she chopped off her jet-black locks. And so she tore through her hair, and fixed it up for the day.

She slipped out of her nightgown and into her favorite collared dress. She was allowed to wear her regular clothes into the floral shop and she indulged in every minute of it. Although it was simple work, she loved it, and it helped fill her mind. Of course, science had always interested her, but too many people had shamed her from it (she always scoffed at this, knowing that a lot of women studying at Harvard and like universities were the ones making advances!!). She took to her other passion: botany.

She slipped on her kitten heels and headed out for the day, grabbing her coat and purse as she shut her apartment door.

\--

Conveniently, Jade was never late. Her building was just above the shop, which was probably part of the reason she was kept around so long. She was rubbish at putting together flower arrangements, regardless of how much she learned about them! She usually kept the register and changed the water for the flowers routinely. The shop was typically very busy because it was one of the best floral shops in her part of town. She was expected to come an hour before opening to prepare for the day, so as to keep this reputation. And so being early was a big part of the job!

She trotted down the stairs beside the building and sniffed at the cloudy morning sky. The sidewalks were wet with frosty dew, and it was a frigid dawn. But it was warmer than most, and she had to give it that. When her feet reached the pavement she was careful not to slip. The last few mornings she had been in a rush and found herself on her rear end.

When she was inside the shop, an older woman with graying hair greeted her. She was very old-fashioned, wearing dresses only as short as her ankle, and pinning up her hair into the same sort of poofy updo that her grandmother wore. But she was very kind and didn't mind Jade's interest in the up and coming shorter, looser dresses. She knew Jade's free spirit, but she had a level of trust for modesty. It wasn't ever a problem, though--Jade WAS somewhat decent, and only wearing her nicer dresses to work in.

"Good morning, Miss Jade," she hummed after placing a broom from behind the counter and wiping her brow. "It's been the warmest day all winter, hasn't it?"

Jade giggled. "Hello Mrs. Williams. It's a sweltering, blistering heat out there."

Mrs. Williams smiled at her faintly before clucking, "You'll kill a man with that tongue, dear."

Jade smiled brilliantly as she removed her coat. "Wasn't that always the intention?"

The older woman chuckled in response, shaking her head as she swept. Jade continued into the shop and headed into the back, where she hung her coat and placed her purse in the small arrangement of cubbies. Jade only worked mornings into the afternoons and rarely did otherwise. Mrs. Williams owned the shop, and had for quite a few years. She was there all day at every hour--Jade admired her ability to work. If she did the same, she would go absolutely bonkers. She was not a woman of schedules and monotony; she was a woman of spontaneity.

The floral shop was progressively more busy as the sun came out that day. It was a warm forty degrees, and that meant that more daisies and summer plants came off the shelves to the register. Jade always thought that was a silly practice, to buy summery plants when the weather was looking up. Although, she couldn't argue that sunny flowers and greenery certainly made a room feel warmer.  
Around one when he retired for the day, she placed her coat on her shoulders and was intent on buying herself a coffee and a sweet. She was meeting her best friend, Rose Lalonde, at their nearby favorite diner. They had been friends since they had gone to school together, and the newer diner was the hub of their routine meetings. Rose worked for the police department as a secretary, and she spent most days taking calls or filing away the reports. Or buying coffee for the office. She found nothing too interesting about being a secretary, but she was glad to work. Jade knew that Rose was bookish and very intelligent--why she never went to college, she didn’t know. Rose claimed she loved Jade far too much to leave her and her home.

They had a very warm friendship, which was always full of laughter and banter. Jade’s lips always turned to a smirk when she thought of their natural intelligence, setting them apart from many of the women they knew. They didn’t enjoy gold digging, like many old friends had taken to; ritzy speakeasies were far above them, and so they were never even invited; and searching for a husband after the war was something they turned up their noses at. Rose was a free spirit like Jade. The only difference between them was that Rose could have a bob. Her mother didn’t hold her back--she had one too. She prided herself in having a modern daughter as much as Jade prided herself in such a modern friend.

The diner was filling up for lunch by the time she arrived, and was happy to see that Rose was already seated.

“Hello, Rose!” She greeted happily, nearly plopping into the opposite seat at the table. Rose was wearing a scarf about her hair, tied at the top snuggly. She smiled just as wide with dazzlingly bright lips. “You look stunning! The boys at work must be having a hard time focusing today.”

Rose’s coy smile shown in her eyes. “I’m almost distracting to myself. How are you, Jade? Is the flower shop well?”

“Oh, you know. And I’ve been well, but my coat is certainly a little warm. It’s absolutely hot today, wouldn’t you say?”

“A very terrible heat. I do hope it’s alright that I’ve ordered you a cafe au lait--oh, here it comes now--thank you.”She smiled at the waiter as he placed the steaming cups in front of the two friends. “Have you heard the news going around?” She suddenly looked serious, leaning into the table slightly.

Jade took up her mug with both hands and settled it beneath her lips. “No, what news?”

“There’s been quite a bit of gang activity in the city again."

Jade's eyebrows furrowed and she frowned. "Where? In our district?"

Rose nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so."

"But I thought... Didn't they dismantle the gangs working in this area?"

"We can't ever be too sure. Of course, my knowledge is limited. But I know they've already started investigating." 

Jade sighed. "I do hope everything will be alright."

Rose gave a bit of an agreement as she sipped at her cup with distant eyes. She was cat-like in the way she was watching. She turned to see what caught her attention, and saw a man, sitting in a table just by the window. He was slim, with a smooth, squarish jaw. His hair was gelled in a sloppy attempt, bangs lightly touching his forehead. He was focused on a small stack of papers, his hand sitting on his upper lip in concentration. She turned to face Rose.

"Him?”

She nodded. “You should give a smile.”

Jade flushed. “He’s far too--don’t you think--I’m not interested. I’m no vamp, Rose!”

“That’s fine, Jade. But he’s quite a looker, you can’t deny. That messy look is hard to find.”

She turned again to glance, feeling hot in the face. He had made eye contact with her for a fleeting moment, and her heart dropped. “You knew he was looking at me, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” her laughter was light. “I wouldn’t have encouraged you otherwise, but it’s alright. I’ll just have to prove that I’m a catch, too.” She winked at Jade.

“Oh! Bother! Of course you’re a catch, Rose. But you’d be too smart for him.”

They both continued in their banter until their coffee was gone, and by the time they got up to leave, Rose’s looker had gotten up to leave.

“Oh well,” she had said with a smile as they parted ways. “You be careful, alright Jade? I’ll see you on Saturday.”

\--

“Nana, I question your authority on the subject. I still don’t believe it’s possible that they just disappeared.”

“Nonsense, dearest. I was nowhere near the situation!” Nana smiled ear to ear, and she playfully dabbed at Jade’s nose. Jade poked back with her wooden spatula and left a mark of cake batter on her nose. They both giggled.

“Then I suppose mice snuck in to take them for their little homes? They would make such lovely cushions.” Jade laughed. 

“Oh! Of course, of course. I’m sorry that you’ll never see those curlers again.” She snickered and dropped her mixture of a casserole into a dish. Jade set her spatula down and hopped up onto the counter top, forgetting the cake batter. Nana popped her casserole into the oven and shook her head again, smiling with reminiscent eyes.

Jade smiled to herself, feeling warm. She truly cared for her grandparents. Nana and Poppop raised her, and had always made sure she was happy. They did little to tame her wild spirit, and Jade was glad. She was comfortable with them, and she knew she was lucky. She never had to attend finishing schools. They knew she would never have listened. Jade wasn’t ladylike, really. She still loved dresses and pretty hair, but she wasn’t “conventional”, and she certainly didn’t care about making herself pleasing to a man. If a man ever wanted her, they would have to know she was untamed and free. And she knew that would never happen. But it was fine with her. She had Nana and Poppop and--

There was a quick rasp on the door and Jade perked up again almost immediately. “John!” She slid from the countertop and raced to the door.

“Jade,” Poppop’s voice came from behind her. “Peep hole.”

“Oh, right.” She said, embarrassed, and she looked out through the hole. It was John alright! She swung open the door and her arms flew out to embrace him.

“Ahh! Hello, Jade! Oh, I’ve missed you! What’s that with your hair?” He gestured to the bun.

She blinked a few times before answering: “Oh! You know, my hair is always such a mess. It’s easier for work. Mrs. Williams would never forgive me if I showed up to work with my hair all frizzy! She wouldn’t be too keen on that.”

He laughed lightly. “I like it that way. Take it out for dinner, would you?”

“I was waiting all day to be asked,” she snickered. She plucked the few bobby pins in her hair, and it fell below her shoulders. She knew it wouldn’t go up after this, and so she enjoyed the feeling of loose hair that was stuck in ringlets from being in a bun.

“Hello there, John,” Poppop grinned and John shook his hand before giving him a hug. “How is university?”

“It’s been well, Poppop! Difficult, but it’s keeping me in line.” He smiled.  
“  
Of course, of course… Go and give your Nana a kiss. She’s missed you terribly. And I bet you a nickel she’ll tell you.”

As Jade heard the gleeful ‘I missed you terribly’, Poppop chortled a silly laugh. He was so silly sometimes that it was reminiscent of John. He was always cracking jokes, always smiling even the smallest of smiles. John was just the same. It wasn’t at all surprising that they were related! And of course, Jade was related to him too, but she could tell. John was only her cousin, but they’d lived close to each other growing up. They acted like siblings, spending entire summers together and making the same friends. They had been best friends for as long as Jade had known him.  
Every reunion was glad, especially after the war. Although he never went into battle, it was still a relief. He was just starting to train as a doctor before he left--he served as a nurse. He was always safe, and only tended to illness and ailments, not wounds. But it was still great cause for celebration when he came home, even though he was returned alright in every meaning of the word. And so, every Thursday evening, he came for dinner.

It often felt like they were always waiting for bad news, though. With John in the war and Poppop as a detective and interrogator, there was always something to be worried about. But Jade didn't want to bother herself with the past.

After a few hours of talking, laughing, and eating, it was getting late, and John had to return home.

“Be careful, Jade!” He said as he was leaving. “Don’t you dare let any boys ensnare you without me knowing who they are!”

Jade rolled her eyes. “You don't have to worry about that any time soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew!! This is fun. Expect another update by the end of this week. :-) hope you guys are enjoying it so far! the chapters are a little short, but i'm working on getting them to be in the 3000 word range.

**Author's Note:**

> hoooooo boy. been working on this one for a while now! plan on updates around every week or two. now that it's summer, i have plenty of time to write. (and blissfully ignore hs upd8s COUGHS) there will be 20 or so chapters as planned currently. it's gonna be a bit of a ride :-) so! let me know how you like it/what can be improved/etc. and thanks for reading!! :-)


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